[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-book-of-strange-tales":3,"chapter-the-book-of-strange-tales-the-book-of-strange-tales-chapter-5":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Book of Strange Tales",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2317285,4532,"Chapter 5: Technique Book","the-book-of-strange-tales-chapter-5",5,"\u003Cp>“Exhale.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A method commonly used by spirits and demons.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Once any object in the world attains the Dao, it naturally generates primordial qi within; expelling it yields unique effects.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Jue held the book and quietly read aloud.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This method requires no cultivation or practice—merely expelling the primordial qi naturally. Thus, it is the most common technique among mountain spirits, wild demons, evil gods, and ghosts. Yet because these beings vary in type, ways of attaining the Dao, moral inclinations, and internal qi, their effects differ greatly.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Some exhale yellow qi, bewitching the mind; some exhale black qi, obscuring vision; some exhale gray qi, inducing sleep; some exhale white qi, healing and saving lives.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Those of great power can exhale smoke that forms clouds, blotting out sun and sky.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If a human cultivates and attains the Dao, they too can exhale qi—mostly white qi, with many wondrous uses. If untrained, one may forcibly exhale yang qi, which can only burn yin ghosts, serving no other purpose and harming the body, shortening life.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was the final line.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Jue was stunned inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Could this be a book recording techniques?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He flipped backward instinctively.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Shhh…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sound of turning pages in the silent room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The instant his fingers touched the page, a faint, barely perceptible glow shimmered across the paper, and Lin Jue’s gaze grew dim. What followed was mere habit—he turned the page, yet his eyes saw only the next blank sheet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet words appeared in his mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Heaven has five qi; all things take form…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Spirits are beings that cling to primordial qi…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It felt like speech, yet not quite.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If it were speech, it had no gender, no sound—just like silently reciting an ancient poem or speaking to oneself in the mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If not speech, it carried clear sentences, as if information had been spoken aloud by someone and then transformed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Spirits and ghosts exhale mostly yin qi and ghost qi; as long as their cultivation is low, ordinary humans can fight back with their own blood and will, and often prevail…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Those with cultivation, when exhaling, besides their original primordial qi, can also practice techniques to alter that qi, achieving different effects…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those without cultivation who exhale qi—such methods are rarely passed down. Unless one is enraged to the point of natural expulsion, one must transform strength into qi: downward force begins at the toes, travels through the anal gate to the dantian; upward force rises from the crown, passes through the shanzhong to the abdomen; both forces unite, gathering essence and focusing spirit, holding strength as qi, transforming it into yang, then suddenly expelling it when it becomes scorching hot…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The voice detailed the method of exhaling qi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aside from spirits and demons naturally exhaling—omitted here—it fully explained the methods for both cultivated beings and ordinary humans in desperate moments, along with insights and personal reflections. It even specifically warned that ordinary humans must never use this method unless in dire emergency.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even though Lin Jue knew nothing of this path and understood few of the terms, he grasped some of it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One can exhale qi without cultivation?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only now, from the book’s information, did he realize why he had felt dazed and foggy—not just from a sleepless night, but because he had been affected by a spirit’s exhaling qi, weakening his blood and qi, requiring ample rest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was truly a technique book!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet he did not know where it had come from.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was there some deeper connection?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Jue thought for a while, but could not recall anything.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet why had this technique appeared?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was it because of the spirit’s exhaling qi last night?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Jue gradually came back to himself, turning the book over and over, yet only this one page bore writing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He remembered only this passage: “Exhaling Qi.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nothing else.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And yet this book had countless blank pages—clearly containing more than just this one technique.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Jue could not help but continue pondering—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How could he make more appear?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Where could he find cultivation techniques and spells?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The village did have a Temple of the Three Sisters, dedicated to the Three Sisters Goddess, said to be remarkably efficacious. But the temple keeper—he knew her well—was merely an ordinary widow from the village, who took care of the temple after losing her support, sweeping floors and wiping statues, using any incense money to buy rice, vegetables, meat, and cloth. It was merely kindness from the Shu family’s clan elder, and the woman knew no magic, possessed no supernatural powers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At least, that was Lin Jue’s understanding.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he thought, he recalled last night’s events.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The spirit remained unknown in form, yet after spending the whole night with it, it seemed no different from a human—indeed, upon reflection, it was even more intriguing than many people he knew in the village.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How many spirits and demons existed in this world?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Were they all like this?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or were they wildly varied?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How much of those strange tales were true, how much false?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With these scattered thoughts, he finally fell asleep.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Until the aunt woke him for meals.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In an ordinary household, after a recent illness, meals were naturally meager. But knowing Lin Jue had spent last night in the haunted Wang family ancestral hall with spirits and demons, returning today with a listless demeanor, and having received thirty taels of silver from the Wang family—alleviating their immediate crisis—the aunt boiled a pot of fish porridge and boiled one egg meant for his uncle for him, to restore his strength.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Auntie, don’t worry. These thirty taels—twenty are the Wang family’s payment, ten are a gift from Wang Laotaiye for medicine. Wang Laotaiye said his family will bear all costs for Uncle’s illness.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“They’re just being polite—how can you take that seriously?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The woman showed clear signs of age; her face was already lined, and her brows were tightly furrowed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wang Laotaiye has always loved doing good deeds and values his reputation greatly. Besides, he has descendants serving as officials in the capital. If he promised, he won’t break his word lightly.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mother is right—how can we place all our hopes on others?” said his cousin beside him, a thin, dark-faced man. “If this money is enough to cure the illness, that would be best.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s true…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Jue bowed his head and ate, silently agreeing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then both urged him: never do such a thing again, spoke of bearing the Lin family’s hopes, of explaining to his father—he listened silently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still somewhat dizzy…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But with family upheaval, how could there be rest?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His cousin finished eating fastest and went to attend his uncle. Lin Jue took up his basket and sickle and went out to cut grass.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cutting grass was to feed the oxen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not the Lin family’s ox—those of the village.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not anyone’s in particular, because in this village, apart from Lin Jue’s family upstream of Jiyang Creek, everyone else was considered one family. Strict ancestral and filial ethics bound them together, inseparable. Making the Lin family cut grass and tend the oxen was like making the widow manage the Three Sisters Temple—a kindness from the Shu family, a favor to them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Jue didn’t mind cutting grass.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had nothing else to do—what difference did it make?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But today he felt weak, his mind restless with thoughts; he cut slowly, only filling the basket after his waist ached, then turned back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the way, some children saw him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hey! Lin the Scholar!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Who? It’s really Lin the Second Scholar!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Lin the Scholar, didn’t you say you’d go to the haunted Wang ancestral hall in Heng Village? Did you go?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“When did you go?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before Lin Jue could answer, a voice came from behind:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Lin Jue.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Jue turned, basket on his back, and saw an old man leaning on a cane, looking at him with concern: “I heard you didn’t come home last night—did you really go to Heng Village?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I went.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Jue could only answer honestly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“To the ancestral hall?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I did.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What happened? Did you encounter anything?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Shu Taiyeye…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Jue looked at this village elder—the man who had told him so many strange tales, who had guided him to the Wang ancestral hall last night. He paused long, lost in thought, then finally sighed:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Spirits and demons truly exist…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These words carried boundless emotion, revealing a brand-new understanding of the entire world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And it had all happened in just one night.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You really encountered them?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old man, seeing his expression, looked at him with equal wonder: “If you met them, you met them. The world is vast, full of wonders—don’t be afraid, especially don’t frighten yourself. Rest more, that’s all!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Shu Taiyeye…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If spirits and demons truly exist, then do immortals exist? Is there cultivation and magic?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Of course immortals exist! If there weren’t any, what have we been worshipping for all these years?” the old man answered without hesitation. “As for the sages and magic you mention—once you travel beyond here, time will reveal some, true or false, depending on how you discern them.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meaning they existed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then where can one find these sages and their magic?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That depends on fate.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s a matter of fate…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why are you thinking about such things? Don’t overthink it. At your age, studying hard is the right path. In other places, many people wish they had your opportunity.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Go rest now. Don’t tire yourself out.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old man clearly saw the fatigue on his face; he assumed the boy had gone to Hengcun out of sheer bravado, just like those drunken gamblers who, when they discovered the ancestral hall truly harbored spirits, lost their courage and fled in panic. So he patted the boy’s shoulder to comfort him, then walked past him, leaning on his cane.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He also called away the curious children.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Jue then left, carrying his straw bundle on his back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Until dinnertime, a group arrived in the village.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The newcomers were from Hengcun, all surnamed Wang. Some carried stinky mandarin fish, others carried cured meat, some held a jug of wine in each hand, others carried food boxes, and one carried a bolt of cloth. They passed under the Lower Bridge Pavilion, followed the stream past many courtyard homes, crossed the Upper Bridge Pavilion, and finally reached the Lin household.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They stirred up many people who had been cooling off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Had they not lit lanterns or hung red decorations and flowers, one might have thought they had come to propose marriage to a family in the village.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only after careful inquiry did they learn that Lin’s boy had spent the night in Hengcun’s ancestral hall, staying there overnight and even persuading the restless spirit to depart. This was the Wang family’s way of expressing their gratitude.\u003C\u002Fp>",1804,"2026-06-20T14:45:35.226Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","15a78fcc7a693b9aa04634cf903334469104c6ad5631772fa8013d263cecd240","the-book-of-strange-tales-chapter-6","the-book-of-strange-tales-chapter-4",608,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-book-of-strange-tales-cover.jpg"]